Heatbeat was first introduced to me earlier this year. The Argentinean duo’s “Rocker Monster” came at me through my car speakers with an aggressive edge. Matias Faint, 26, and Agustin Servente, 25, are the masterminds behind this DJ/Producer combo from Buenos Aires. In hearing this first single they started to peak my interest.

Then they gave my life a little “Extra Bacon”. This EDM banger has been stuck in my head like the thought of bacon is every morning when I get up. Any track that is named “Extra Bacon” better live up to all the hype because everybody could use some more bacon in their life to make it complete. The very thought of bacon is making me hungry for bacon and I need more… Bacon.

So check out their track “Extra Bacon” and continue to watch this unbelievable duo rise to electronic greatness.

If web-hype were any indication of talent or potential, Brooklyn youngster Joey Bada$$ might well be one of rap’s hottest names right now. The typical talking points seem standard across the board: Despite being only 17 he has a “sophisticated” and “confident” flow, reps hard for his Progressive Era crew (“a collective of 18 rappers, producers, graphic designers and studio engineers“), exhibits a distinct and refreshing ’90s hip-hop vibe (reviews have been tireless with Nas references), and for having just released his first mixtape with 1999, he already has everyone from Mac Miller to MTV backing his cause. In the month that’s passed since 1999 dropped for free online, the mixtape has already racked up nearly 400k combined views between DatPiff and Live Mixtapes alone. Astounding results for a kid who has yet to enter his senior year of high school. But does web-hype really equate talent?

Of course not.

But it does accurately reflect Bada$$’s potential.

Part of 1999‘s immediate appeal comes with its obvious resemblance to what real “hip-hop heads” are either already familiar with, or are desperately seeking. Take for example one of the set’s most acclaimed cuts, “Survival Tactics,” which utilizes Styles of Beyond’s eponymous track from the group’s 1998 debut. Although it isn’t exactly a showstopper as far as musical references go, it shows that he’s actively looking back — digging, if you will — while moving forward. The same goes for when he leans on Dilla and Statik Selektah. “World Domination” goes a little deeper with sample of DOOM’s “Poo-Putt Platter,” which in turn sampled a tune from the Fat Albert Halloween episode: this is the kind of incestuous keeping-it-realness that back in tha day trumpeters kill for! “Funky Hos” and “Snakes” would each sound at home on Midnight Marauders tribute LP, but it’s “World Domination” that especially speaks to where the kid’s at musically: He’s most comfortable within the previous generation’s ideal of what an old-school flow was supposed to sound like. 1999 is the scrapbook of a kid whose parents listened to Biggie, attends the same high school as Adam Yauch once did, and who discovered Gangstarr through video games.

Most of the release finds him spitting about girls — what would you rap about if you were 17 again? — but even there he maintains a strange lyrical mixture, balancing macho posturing with emotions: “Word to my mother/Two things I never do is leave the crib without some rubbers or tell a funky ho I love her/These broads be trying to get a brother caught up in a sticky situation, missing menstruation” (from the Steve Miller Band-sampling “Funky Hos”) follows “So tell me what the fuck I’m supposed to do/You know it ain’t too easy getting over you/I sent the postcards so you know it’s true/I promise that I wouldn’t get emotional” (Bada$$ doing his best DOOM in “Pennyroyal”). But 1999 isn’t empty in terms of showing his dexterity as an MC either: peep 3:43 to about 4:30 of “Hardknocks” where his rapid fire delivery really takes off, “This is for my niggas, killas, hundred dolla billas/On the block in the rock spot glock cocked watchin’ out for cops/All about they cheddar young girls know nothin’ that’s better…”

Speaking with Pitchfork, Pro Era producer Chuck Strangers explained his process in developing the handful of tracks he contributed to the release, “Joey had a very specific vision for 1999. I was playing him all these other kinds of beats and he’d be like, ‘These are ill, but not what I’m going for.’ So I sat and I listened to Joey Bada$$ music. People ask me, ‘Did you listen to a lot of Wu-Tang and Illmatic when you made these beats?’ I know those shits because I’m from Brooklyn and I love ’em, but to make Joey Bada$$’ tape, I listened to Joey Bada$$.” Growing up on hip-hop is a great starting point, but the ability to be so selectively focused of what it is he’s trying to do at such a young age is what might actually separate Bada$$ from the crowd. 1999 is no Illmatic, but it is a skillfully constructed tape by a minor-leaguer who’s playing at a pro-ball level. Whether you’re boom-bap’d out halfway through the mixtape or not, what you should take away from 1999 is its what-ifs: the what-ifs that have inspired the web-hype and the what-ifs that suggest his future to be bulging at the seems with “potential.” The reason it’s important to keep his age in mind isn’t simply because it’s remarkable that Joey Bada$$ appears so “sophisticated” and “confident” at only 17, but because he seems to already be better at constructing a consistent album than many who’ve been doing it since back before he was even born. Oh, the potential…

You are probably reading this because it is made out of words. I digress.

The real story:

I worked all weekend; however, I found out earlier on friday about the numerous block parties happening over the next couple of days. Where there is a will there is a way, its hard to stop when there is so much going on around you. Luckily, I was at block parties all weekend getting drunk, having promiscuous sex on bridges near downtown, and checking out supremely awesome hip-hop acts.

Um, if you haven’t attended a block party in Minneapolis you don’t know what it is like to have an exclusively progressive music scene in your area. There are girls, music, booze, and tons of sights to take in and process.

I saw more fresh acts this weekend, with great potential, than I have in the recent years, and it was mostly free and very close to Downtown Minneapolis. I think I might’ve paid $10 for a ticket, unlimited beer, and I even got VIP access on accident. Whoops! My bad, but it was really good. These are social events to take advantage of and respect.

Summer time in Minneapolis is like this: Work a little, drink a lot, check out the block parties and what’s kicking with local musicians, and ride bike. Your favorite artists are everywhere, even in the crowd. Go and make friends. I would say it is a perfect city if you are interested in art, fun times, and music in any way at all. Come see what we got.

I was at The 331 this last weekend drinking and listening to an act I had not heard before, a hip-hop artist by the name of Sean Anonymous. So good, with such a sick-chill-awesome flow and the ability to rock the crowd. I was impressed and really happy that I had taken advantage of the free block party show at The 331.

There were classic cars, insane motorcycles, and art on display throughout the block, and around the back of the bar people gathered near a stage in preparation of the show.

Sean Anonymous has much empathy in his songwriting, and a realistic relatable idea behind it. His energy on stage was powerful, he had some guest acts, and a personality that was fun to take in from concert venue viewpoint. If you get a chance check him out at: Sean Anonymous Facebook , Sean Anonymous Twitter Handle .

I met Sean in the crowd after his set (or rather in VIP, above at he Thrifty Hipster Headquarters) and gave him my credentials, talked with him over some beer for a few moments. Asked for a CD, and joyously thanked him for hooking it up. Said mad respect, and here I sit listening, and I like what I hear.

In the album, Anonymo, he really goes into detail on how, and what its like to be a struggling artist. The hoops you have to go through. The beats on the album are bumping, the production is well rounded and interesting. Its fresh, heavy, and gangsteresque, with a tongue-in-cheek Minnesota nice feel, but in a passive aggressive way. This 7 track album is packed with creativity, intellectual understanding, and a head-bobbing feel, ya feel me? If you have a chance, give Sean Anonymous a listen, get his CD. I love the representation of Minneapolis that he facilitates throughout Anonymo. Honest and down to earth. Honestly worth being heard. No bullshit.

Highlights of the album: Mostly all of the songs. 1. Fast Forward, 4. Alright, and all the others beyond that are standout quality songs.

Lows: There aren’t many lows. Sean is representing Minneapolis, flowing like a fountain, and banging beats like I’m banging someone’s girlfriend or mother. But really its good. A real and personal artist with a great stage presence, worthy of an audience. I look forward to the next show.

For how long Dosh has been entangled in the Midwest’s music scene, it is hard to call this a discovery but it was my discovery. The one-man band, who is Dosh, has been flying under my radar for far too long. I had no idea who he was until I attended a Black Moth Super Rainbow show last year in Madison, WI at the Majestic Theater. Like so many other musicians, I discovered Dosh by chance at a live show. This is why for true music fans true discovery happens at the level of attending live shows.

We all know how much I enjoy music from the Murder Mitten, so it’s no surprise that I dig the musical offerings from Of Mice and Musicians. The seven man band from Detroit has been on their grind for a few years now, and their latest album (Bottles & Bones) is an impressive collection of rock infused Hip-Hop. If I could compare the sound of the guys to anything, it would probably be a mix between the instrumentals of Sublime and Citizen Cope mixed with the vocals of Weerd Science and Cage.

One of my favorite lines from Benjamin Miles is on “Sorry My Mom Called”, and it defines what making music should be about: “…Didn’t start it, probably won’t save it/but I appreciate it/I am proud of what we makin’/even if we don’t make it/if I can rock a show on the weekend with my friends, I’ll take it”. Another track that jumped right out at me was “Don’t Hate”; the guitar work and instrumentation is unbelievable, and Miles spits stanzas filled with passion and pain.

It’s always refreshing to hear music that you can relax to, and these guys are definitely the ticket. I know for a fact that Eric would enjoy these guys quite a bit. Detroit has always been what I consider the epicenter of Hip-Hop, and Of Mice and Musicians are carving their own lane with their style of music; that’s something that I can truly appreciate. You can jump over to Of Mice and Musicians’ Bandcamp page and grab Bottles & Bones for free; how can you argue with a free album full of great music? I know I can’t…

So lately, I have been on a little bit of a funk bender. I think it may have started because of a couple of weekends ago while at Whiskey Junction, in Minneapolis, before the SOJA show, at the Cabooze, we were in for a “Sunday Funkday.” A small group of patrons were playing old school funk on the jukebox while dancing, singing and of course, drinking. This bar had a good vibe for a Sunday afternoon and that vibe was powered by the sound of funk.

So it was no surprise that I found myself grooving in my car to Father Funk’s “Clap Your Hands.” This song has that fun, funked out sound that just puts a smile on the faceplate. This song by Father Funk was released in January of this year so it is a fresh sounding track with an old school feel. If you are a fan of “the funk” and are in need of something new look no further than Father Funk and give his song “Clap Your Hands” a listen.